Tag Archives: universal wisdom

Every occurrence, circumstance or event happens for a reason and usually that reason is connected to our own higher learning. I’ve thought in the past that when someone treated me in a way that was either manipulative, disrespectful or both that they deserved eternal condemnation but that’s not for me to decide. The Universe will handle it appropriately and in the right time, I need to trust in that, step back and draw some better boundaries to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We teach others how to treat us and honestly I’ve been a little too lax in my teachings in the past. I’ve often thought that the way I treated someone would be teaching enough as to how I also wanted to be treated but their intention in life may not be in alignment with mine. Learning how to decipher their intention and find only those that are in alignment with my intention is the lesson I am still fine-tuning.

I’ve always been someone that is super motivated to get to the next level so I can find out what the level after that is and so forth. I’ve come across people who live in a negative energy but have learned how to display passion that they also want to get to the next level but the truth of it is that if they wanted to get to the next level they would be doing something, anything, to be trying to get there and the lack that seems to be stalling them in place is really their own will or desire. The issue for them is that they have become content, familiar and/or addicted to their story because it serves as a great example/reason for the obstacles that prevent them from moving forward. The problem that will continue to plague them is that they are living in a negative mindset or point of view and that prevents the Universe from bringing the positive light in so the life that they secretly hope for but believe they don’t deserve can manifest.

Imagine if you were meant for great things, which I believe we all are, we aren’t here to suffer, we are here to build and grow our souls so they can flourish but that can’t happen if a wall of negativity is blocking it from getting through. The biggest hurdle to letting all the good things get in is tearing down that wall and embracing that which makes you feel vulnerable or scared. Every time a monumental moment occurs hesitation is always there and rightly so, all monumental moments are the cusp of some impending change that will likely alter you in every area of life, which is why they are so scary and why we hesitate. Taking a leap of faith into unknown and unfamiliar territory is unnerving to say the least but every time I’ve ever done it I’ve never been disappointed, not even once! Even if it hasn’t led me to where I thought I was going, it has led me to something better.

It may seem easier, less scary, to keep yourself safely behind the protective armor of a negative mindset because at least you’re familiar with it, no one can hurt you there because you are already in defensive/protective mode but no good can get in either. So what you block out that hurts also prevents that which is good from getting through, I ask you, what’s more hurtful?

Even though the bad stuff feels rough, hurts and sometimes feels too overwhelming to overcome, it still comes with its gifts. That which does not kill me, only makes me stronger!

The more of the tough experiences you go through the stronger you get, the more resilient you get, the more capable you are of reaching for what you want and succeeding and when you combine that with embracing all things positive you more than double the power you’ve already gained from your experiences.

Sometimes you have to travel a long road to go a short distance. Imagine what you can do when you realize how powerful you already are!

This eye-opening phrase comes from Maya Angelou and I first heard it when watching an Oprah Winfrey show a few years ago and even though at the time I thought I understood the meaning it turns out it didn’t fully sink in until recently when watching one of Oprah’s Lifeclass segments where she really dug into it.

Even though all of her shows, master classes and now lifeclasses focus on life enrichment and enlightenment for the betterment of our inner spirits I have always found it amazing that she could interview anyone and I mean anyone, including those that have been negatively labelled by society. How does she do it without reservation or judgement with regard to the actions that have brought the negative labels attached to them? A lot of times we can end up judging another person based on what we’ve heard or seen of their actions but who are we to judge? I’m quite sure that no one is perfect, everyone has made a mistake at one time or another.

I have chastised myself for the times I’ve allowed others to take advantage of an aspect of my personality and what I finally got from this phrase was while it was not nice for someone to take advantage they were able to do so because I let them, now I know better. I can’t continually punish myself for the actions of someone else because I was hurt by it, all I can do is learn from it and strengthen my boundaries so it doesn’t happen again “When you know better, you do better”.

What an “aha” moment it was when I finally got this in its full context and along with it came the enlightenment that if someone hurt me in my past I can’t continue to judge them for it now or carry it into my future because I allowed it, I let it happen. I didn’t knowingly consent to it but I also didn’t object, I didn’t communicate my discontent and that’s on me. Just maybe, they didn’t know better or maybe they did but that doesn’t matter because all actions have karmic consequences doled out only by the Universe and if someone knowingly and/or willingly takes advantage of another it is not my karma, it is theirs.

Negative experiences usually cause internal emotional hurt and/or pain and we all deal with these kinds of experiences differently. Some act out aggressively to release it, some internalize and act out passive aggressively and some bottle it up. The best way to heal is to acknowledge the hurt, allow yourself to feel it so you can make peace with it, learn from it and only then can you truly move forward and release it.

Negative experiences can sometimes stall you in life and paralyze you from moving forward, keeping you in that time to remember it over and over again. Knowing and doing better because of it frees you.

I’ve made my own mistakes, I learned from most of them, sometimes I had to make them twice to learn but “when you know better, you do better”. I certainly don’t make the same mistakes anymore because now I know better and what I’ve now learned to consider is that maybe those who have caused me hurt in the past were acting out of their own pain. Embracing this philosophy has given me a heightened sense of awareness into myself and others and has shown me another level of the “judgement” lesson, I don’t think any of us ever have it all figured out. This “aha” realization has taught me the deeper meaning of empathy and its connection to all of our emotional challenges but in this case specifically judgement, which has allowed me to further my trust that the Universe takes care of us all in relation to the life we live and the seeds we sow.

I know that everything in life happens for some subliminal reason and we can’t always have the foresight to venture ahead to understand it or the gratitude for the wisdom gained from the experience but I have learned to recognize when opportunity arises.

Opportunities are actually abundant for everyone but I think many of us don’t see them because they haven’t appeared as grandiose as built them up in our minds. Even the smallest of opportunity is still an opportunity and when you take advantage of the small ones what follows suit is the big ones too because opportunity knows no boundaries and once you open that door you start to realize, recognize and become aware of how many there are around you. It’s not a matter of you changing, it’s just a matter of adjusting your vision, similar to wearing 3D glasses where the objects pop out at you, you will be able to see your opportunities in a heightened state of awareness that makes them stand out before you.

I Am Worth Loving

Knowing your worth and learning not to de-value yourself based on an opinion that isn’t your own is an inner dialogue you need to develop. Everyone has an opinion but if they haven’t walked in your shoes for any length of time then there is absolutely no foundation for that opinion to stand on. I’ve found that people with strong opinions usually aren’t very happy, I believe that is because they are so busy looking into someone else’s life that they aren’t living their own and by doing so they are depriving themselves of finding happiness and enjoying their life the way they were meant to. We are all worth loving, we are all worth finding happiness and we are all worth enjoying our lives, no matter what!

I Forgive Myself

Forgiveness is a major part of your own evolvement, without it you are literally held within a trap of your own making that keeps you in a state of sadness, hurt, discontent, anger, and so many more. Forgiveness is essential for moving past an experience that has caused negative disruption, disruption that has been awful that it has halted you in your tracks and kept you unable to look ahead. On one of my previous posts (Evolving Means Change) I put in a quote from Oprah Winfrey about forgiveness that I believe are words to live by as well as words to inspire you to forgive so you can enjoy your best life.

I Am in the Process of Positive Change

I’ve always lived within the positive mindset, outlook and attitude and I believe that maintaining and feeding those states of mind have made what has become a process not feel like one. It has become effortless so much so that I don’t have to work very hard at staying positive. Of course everyone has an off day, I do too, like you got up on the wrong side of the bed and everything bugs you but I don’t think that has as much to do with my positive outlook as it does with just being burnt out. My positivity never waivers, I have high hopes and aspirations for all areas of my life and I know that when the time is right all things fall into place. The Divine knows all, I’ve had my moment of doubting it when something didn’t happen when I expected but I found that when it happened later when I didn’t, it was better timing. The Universe just knows and part of positivity is having faith in that but I am always trying to create a better way and a better process for positive change. That’s the whole point of positivity, it inspires you continually improve, not because you need it but because you love it.

I Open New Doors to Life

I am continually looking for new doors to open and as much as I get scared at first, that’s my personal indication that I’m opening the right one. I think you have to scare yourself sometimes, really challenge yourself, push yourself forward even if you’re terrified because pushing past that fear enhances your own personal courage, builds self-confidence and sometimes it opens up an opportunity, one you might not have otherwise discovered. The more new doors you open the more your personal power grows because with each step into new territory you blaze trails for yourself and for others. Imagine how much inspiration one person can provide to another just by leading the way and vice versa, you may follow another’s path because they’ve inspired you to do so. Inspiration comes from a place of purity, a place of universal love and cannot be touched or tainted by negativity. Open as many new doors as you can find and I can assure you, your path will be found!

The Past is Over

There is a reason why it is called the past, and that is because you can’t go back and change it regardless of whether or not you think you will find some sort relief from the negativity that has transpired forth as a result of the experience. Chances are even if you were able to go back and hit the delete button to undo what was done, sure it may have changed where you are now but you would also lose the greater gifts that came with it. Don’t disparage the gifts, what you learn from lessons can help you in more experiences to come than you realize. I’ve learned how to adapt and handle situations that in my teen years wouldn’t have even entered my mind. I’ve learned how to trust (especially in the universe) that all things happen when they are meant to and there’s no point in me trying to rush the universe if it decides it’s going to move at a glacial pace, at least that’s how I view it when I get impatient, trust me my patience is still a work in progress. Without these lessons that are all from my past, I may not be as mindfully developed, and the mindful development is a work in progress as well and that is because if I don’t keep challenging myself, what am I doing then?

Keep the past where it belongs, allow yourself the presence and peace of mind to enjoy the present and even though your future is not yet written, look forward to living it, I know I do!

In the last couple of months I’ve had some challenges that have been hard to handle at certain moments (to say the least) but they have allowed me to step a little bit outside of myself at times so I could observe the plans ahead and the placement of those in my life. How things come together or apart and how people step in and out of our lives, usually at the right times. The only words I can think of to describe it all is “weirdly wonderful timing” because even though I know that the universe knows all and the best laid plans don’t always materialize, those that pop in and out of our lives at specific times are all part of the bigger picture/plan, it still blows my mind at how it all plays out.

My daughter had some more challenges in the last couple weeks that seem to be an aftershock-like effect from her surgery, all the trauma and fluctuation of her entire system, of course who wouldn’t? The body is not meant to have to go through such big changes and especially in such a short period of time but she seems to be finally bouncing back, at least that’s my continued hope and prayer.

It’s in the difficult times that you really discover who’s on your team!

I want to let all of those who I know are on my team know that even though you may have thought your support was insignificant it was noticed. Even though I may have at times said I was ok when I didn’t feel so much that way, the fact that you checked was noticed. Even though I know I put some of you off for a visit to make sure I was ok, when I definitely wasn’t, I want you to know that it wasn’t because I didn’t want to see you, it was because I couldn’t. Your compassion was too overwhelming and my emotions were sitting too close to the surface to suppress them and my dignity to maintain my strength was all I had left.

I think when you have the moment to step outside yourself and reflect it’s always a great opportunity. There is greater clarity outside the confines of our own psyche and it’s in that zone that I believe we can find the answers to questions that have eluded us and the opportunity to find out more about what you are looking for in your life.

I discovered that I had two different life challenges working against each other which weren’t beneficial for my daughter’s recovery process. I am overly ambitious and wanted to get a plan going that helps her get well in the best way possible. I’m not a doctor so medically I can’t do anything to make things better but I am her mother so I’m going to try to break down every wall to find a way. When I get my mind on a direction I take off running but when it comes to something like physical recovery (especially someone else’s recovery), taking off running doesn’t work out so well. The recovery goes on her timetable, not mine, so I can make all the plans I want for progressing forward but if her system isn’t ready, it isn’t ready, plain and simple.

The other life challenge is patience, which in my opinion, impedes progress for ambition. I’m sure that there are many people that have been able to find the happy medium for these two to work together but my maternal and protective nature wants to change things for the better for my daughter not later, but now! If it were me, I would definitely be motivated but not as strongly as I am when it comes to my daughter and of course that’s because for me, it’s her world that matters the most!

One thing I have noticed is that when I’m not gripping so tightly to trying to make things work, they seem to find a different, and usually better, way to just work out. Like everything just falls into place naturally and I think that is also the universe telling me something; that things will happen naturally if I just let them.

I’ve noticed that the “meaning of life” has become deeper and more meaningful as time goes on. This is something I had never anticipated when I was a teenager because my experiences then didn’t carry the wisdom I gained later in my adult years. As a teenager or young adult I didn’t realize the depth that life would eventually bring because I was preoccupied with trying to find my place in the world, looking for my independence. That period of my life gave me the freedom to learn and discover how to find my way, and the struggles that I encountered along the way helped to build my determination to succeed in attaining the life I had envisioned. Actually that vision hasn’t changed much, yes there are a few improvements to the plan and the only reason it took me so long to reach my desired goal is because I got distracted trying to help others build their dreams.

In the case of the above quote I wasn’t hired, my natural instinct is to help especially if I see someone struggling and I think there’s something I can do to assist. The downfall is that as much as you may want to help someone where you can, you may be doing them more harm than good because how can they build their own determination if you are doing all their work.

I’ve learned many life lessons so far that have definitely challenged me and I’ve discovered that there is so much more to the relationships we form with others than just what we see on the surface. I’ve found that my favorite relationships are those that are truly authentic and authenticity is not something that can be fabricated. These are the relationships I aspire to and those that were false have been unable to sustain any challenges and have fallen away and/or ended.

Not all endings are sad, some endings are closure to a challenging time, some endings signify personal victory and some endings reinforce your faith in direction of life. Like “Semisonic’s” lyrics say, “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end”. Endings must occur in order to create room for the new beginning and that new beginning is an unopened present from the universe, full of opportunities and choices that are yours to embrace. Every opportunity can branch out into so many other areas and most of us either don’t attempt to explore them or don’t notice they are there because we too busy looking back at the last ending. Everything happens for a reason, everything begins for a reason and everything ends for a reason. The learning offered with every new beginning can literally change your life and it’s usually for the better. There are so many beautiful things out there for us to learn and to remain open is the best way to enjoy all that life has to offer.

If you are feeling like life owes you than you are doing more to deprive yourself of the enjoyment of it than any one person or group could. Pay attention to the gifts that you have already been given and are living, you may be taking more for granted than you realize. Living in gratitude for the basics is the best way to increase your appreciation for the bigger moments. When you are grateful for the smaller gifts in life it makes the bigger gifts that much more spectacular and meaningful.

I’ve found that other people’s ideas of who I should be don’t have value for me anymore and what matters most is how comfortable and content I am in my own skin. With that comfort and content comes the confidence that allows me to embrace the depth that life has been offering, the depth that provides me with greater clarity and direction. There is no pretense to who I think I should be or who I think others think I should be, my comfort with who I am allows me the freedom to explore and determine the types of relationship I seek and those relationships are the ones with true connection and meaning. True connection can be found in the moments when nothing monumental is happening but you feel drawn and connected to another soul for an inexplicable reason except that it feels natural, comfortable and familiar. There are some connections I’ve encountered that I don’t know why I feel the instant connection and I think that’s because sometimes our souls recognize that familiar soul before our minds or hearts do.

One of the changes I’ve discovered in myself over the last 10 years is that the people that I truly connect with are not those who I used to and those that I used to I never really knew. It’s not that I was closed off before it was that I hadn’t truly been opened up, it takes experiences to bring wisdom. Monumental and life changing experiences can propel us onto a path that we never realized existed and into the lives of those we never really noticed were there. The people I’ve noticed now are truly authentic and have more depth than I ever realized I would see or feel.

I believe the path that our experiences propel us onto is where the universe has always meant for us to go and the people we encounter on that path are there for a reason. Some of them are meant to stay and some are meant to leave but all are meant to help us get to where we are meant to be. I don’t believe in coincidences, everything happens for a reason, and all reasons eventually become clear when the time is right. There are some reasons still left to evolve in my life and I look forward to the clarity when it comes because so far I haven’t been disappointed. All of my life lessons have brought me greater awareness and insight and with each of these lessons I develop a greater appreciation for the things I took for granted. I think we all forget at one time or another and take the simplest thing for granted, not because we are unappreciative but because life is busy and hectic and it’s the pace that keeps us from stopping and taking it all in for what it really is, a gift.

I know that my comfort and contentment with where I am in life right now will only increase as time goes on and as much as I don’t want to rush the future I look forward to the gifts, blessings and insight that are to come. As much as I know this chapter has brought depth, the remaining chapters in life will bring even more clarity and substance.

I have my beliefs that I follow, one of them is having faith that things work out as they should and when they should, fighting or resisting the natural flow is pointless and usually very frustrating so it’s better for me to do what I need to do and allow the Universe to respond and set the pace.

I have many life goals that I want to achieve, all of which I have initiated and the most important aspect that I have to remain true to, is faith that the Universe will present the right opportunities when the time is perfectly right and not to try to force anything ahead of what is already divinely arranged.

The Universe provides us all with what we need but knows when the time is right and when we are most open to receive, accept and embrace. I think there are definitely times when we don’t realize that we aren’t fully open and could be blocking ourselves in some way that isn’t easily recognizable for us so that we could change it. I know that there have been a few times where I’ve thought “I’m ready” but things aren’t happening the way I’d hoped or when I’d hoped. What I’ve realized much later is even though I thought was ready, it turns out I wasn’t, I just thought I was and thought I knew better but that was the ego thinking (EGO: Edging God Out – as in removing faith in what you cannot see)

I’m not over the top in my beliefs and everyone has their own right to choose, I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t and I have adjusted and lived my life accordingly. Everyone should have the right to choose their own path and not be forced or coerced down one that doesn’t fully feel right or aligned with their inner core. As much as I’d like to at times help or direct someone I care about down a path that I feel is best for them it is not my place to do so and I don’t walk in their shoes every day so I am not aware of all that occurs within, nor do I have the right to judge which path they choose, that is the beauty of “free will”. Live and let live, I know I don’t like being told how I should be doing things so why should I expect that anyone else would. I am always open and appreciative to hear the opinion and/or advice of others I respect and admire but the final decisions are ultimately mine to make.

Our ego can get the better of us at times because it inflates and infuses our thoughts into an over-exaggerated belief of self-prominence and knowledge. What I’ve usually discovered later down the road in hindsight is usually very humbling and expands my awareness to a greater degree.

I believe the best course of action is to lay the groundwork, let the Universe respond when the time is right and be open to waiting for it and taking advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself, you will “feel it” when the opportunity is right, do not hesitate, seize the moment. Trusting and believing that things will happen as they should and when they should is the key to enhancing your patience. If something doesn’t go the way you’d hoped it usually takes you into a newer and better direction, one that turns out to be a better plan that maybe you never had thought of or considered. Every single time I have maintained my belief and faith I have been rewarded with more opportunities than I could have imagined and that is enough of an indication for me to stay on the same track because it works great! I don’t need to push the boundaries because things always tend to even out in the end so putting myself through additional stress trying to push or force something to happen is pointless.

Like I said earlier I have many life goals that I’ve initiated, I have many hopeful desires for life direction that I will continue to focus my strongest thoughts on and I will do all that I need to achieve them but without force because the Universe will present the opportunities and if it isn’t what I’d hoped for, I know it will be something better, experience has taught me that lesson.

Remember your thoughts (positive or negative) are just as strong an influence on the direction your life goes as anything in your life and what you most think about will show up in your life so be very aware of what thoughts you have in both your conscious and sub-conscious mind. In my opinion it is the sub-conscious mind that has the most power (the sub-conscious runs continually), you can say to yourself consciously that you wish and desire things one way but if you feel deep down (sub-consciously) that your thoughts really don’t fully believe than you could be your own downfall.

As an example to illustrate this theory, I myself utilize this same thought process but I also read it as an excerpt from one of the contributing writers in the book “The Secret”. A woman spoke of having issues with her weight her whole life and when she started to utilize the theories in the “The Secret” that changed. Her sub-conscious thoughts used to fully support her reasoning for having difficulty with controlling her weight, how she couldn’t lose it no matter how many different diets she tried or how much exercise she did.

In case you aren’t seeing what the common denominator is here she kept reinforcing negative thoughts that backed up why she couldn’t shed the unwanted pounds:

– I tried exercise but can’t lose any weight

– Everything I eat goes to my waist

– I’ve tried all diets and nothing keeps it off

All of her inner responses and sub-conscious thoughts were reinforcing and allowing the negative to keep operating against her with excuses as to why it wasn’t working, making it ok to fail and justifying it.

It really does all begin with changing your thoughts as to where you can progress to and having faith that things will go in the direction you want. So she changed her thoughts and reinforced them with positive ones

– Exercise is taking off the excess I want to discard

– Nothing is going to stick to me

– This new diet of moderation with occasional reward is working

By the end of the story the woman had said she was down to her goal weight and maintaining it because of this change of thought process and that was within not only the conscious but sub-conscious mind. You need to have both on board to be able to effect the change you want to see.

The same enhancement of thought goes for everything in your life including your faith and state of being and even though I’ve had my moments of doubt (which I believe everyone has at one time or another, it’s only natural and human), but bringing myself back to center and positive thinking will bring a much more relaxed state of happiness and healthy living.

– Be Aware

– Be Open

– Be Gracious

– Be Humble

The Universe will give you what you need when you live in these states of being. Always remember that things could be so much worse and that breath of life is a gift that shouldn’t go unappreciated.

Have you wondered why you are where you are, wondered why certain people and experiences enter or leave your life? Every experience carries wisdom with it and the bigger question to ask is at the end of every experience; do you recognize the experience has played out and do you finally see the wisdom?

For the longest time I was very hard on myself when it came to any sort of mistake or failure, I never adjusted well, nor did I see the wisdom at the end. In the last 10 years I’ve started to see things from a different perspective that has led me to question whether what I’ve viewed as failures in the past are not actually that of divine intervention or destiny. I’m a huge believer in “Everything happens for a Reason” and that would mean that mistakes (big or small) aren’t actually failures but rather part of the grand design that is in place to help us progress in the direction we are meant to go so we can live the life we are meant to live.

One thing I’ve come to recognize is that the people I admire, look up to and respect can feel like lifelines at times because we can relate to each other in a very specific and identifiable way. Their energy is not only magnetic but familiar and comforting and there are times when that is just what I need to balance me out.

I listed some of my favorite quotes from Oprah’s Master Class, there is so much to we can learn from others experiences and lives, whether they are successful at times or not. It’s learning from the experience; that is the success.

Honestly when I was younger I didn’t have enough confidence or comfort level in my own skin to maintain my beliefs. I knew I believed in some of the quotes below, although some of them I wasn’t even aware of because I just didn’t have enough life experience but those I believed and wanted to stand strong on fell to the wayside. I needed to develop inner strength and learn how to set boundaries, and I wouldn’t have learned how to without the life experiences I’ve had so far.

Oprah Winfrey: (Every Life Has a Story) – Everybody has a story and there is something to be learned from every experience.

Jay-Z: (Be True to Yourself) – Knowing who you are, that’s the foundation of everything great.